The Negev!

So Monday was our field trip to the Negev. The Negev is in the southern portion of Israel and it is a desert. We are super lucky and just happen to be here during the winter when it is green. Most of the year it is super uber hot and brown haha but this time of year it is beautiful and green. Well as green as a desert can get. So it was about an hour and a half drive out to the Negev which was kind of nice to be honest. While I have been here we have been getting up at about 6 every morning. Breakfast is at 7 and if you don’t get breakfast then you pretty much feel like you are starving to death by 10. Well Monday, because they bus ride was so long, we left at 7:30 so breakfast started at 6:30. It was nice to have a long bus ride because we could sleep after having woken up so early. So I got a nice nap on the bus.

 When we got there the first thing we did was go to Lakiya (La-key-a) weaving. This is a women’s organization that allows Bedouin women to make money. This is one of the first women’s organizations in the Negev and because of the culture in the Negev, they have created their own newspaper. It takes these women about 6 weeks to finish a project and they all have their own looms at home. It was amazing because they do everything by hand. The starts from goat hair or sheep wool, they roll it into yarn, they die it different colors, and they weave it into beautiful rugs. They demonstrated to us how they did each step and it seemed very monotonous and like a lot of hard work. The pieces they made were absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! I wish that I had enough money to buy a rug or something for them. This organization takes a portion of its profits and puts it towards teaching Bedouin women how to read and write in the unrecognized villages in the Negev. When they lady that was giving us the tour told us this we all wondered what an unrecognized village was. It is a village that the country does not recognize as a village, just people living out there. Because of this, the country of Israel does not provide them with water, sewage, schools, or even electricity. We were told this was something that was being worked on through the country but none of the women were receiving education so they are helping with that cause. I thought it was really cool to see all of the hard work and the beautiful pieces that came from it.

They brought us some Herbal Tea while they were showing us how they make everything.

Not a huge far to be honest!

Eden was the ultimate tourist haha

This is the dye that they use

After the Yarn is died it looks like this!

And this is one of the final projects

After the weaving shop we went to Beersheba. Beersheba is historically significant because this is where Abraham built a well. At the time of Judges there was a phrase “from Dan to Beersheba” which was the borders of the territory within which the Israelites lived. Later on, during a time which there were many satellite temples (temples built in other cities besides Jerusalem), there was a sacrificial altar built. This altar was found but there was one issue with it, it was built with Hewn stones. Hewn stones means that the stones where carved by men. According to the Law of Moses, altar had to be created with unhewn stone. Because of issues with Satellite temples, Hezekiah and Josiah decommissioned all altars except for the altar at the Temple in Jerusalem (2 kings 18:22, 23:8).

This site was really cool. It is an archeological site so everything was methodically dug up and preserved.  It is so cool to go to these sites because you can see where the walls are, individual buildings, and even benches. It is really neat. At Beersheba there was a very intricate water system that dates back to 900-700 BC. It is amazing the things that where thought of back then. I don’t think that I could have even come up with anything this smart. They built a channel that brought the water into the underground cisterns where the water would be held all year. Since they only get water during about January, they had to store enough water to last them the entire year. We got to walk through and it was really cool.

Skyler in the hard hats we got to wear!

The portion in the lower left hand corner (inside the lines) is the original wall!

This is where perople would take their horses and animals to drink and eat when they would come to visit the city.

All the way down to the water system!

Sarah and Spencer were so tall they touched the ceiling!

We sacrificed Spencer on the Altar :)

After Beersheba, we went to Tel Arad. Tel Arad is mentioned in the Bible as one of the cities that prevented the Israelites from entering the Promised Land. There was not as much significance to this site but it was really cool to see. There were about 3 different time periods that had been uncovered at Tel Arad. There was another satellite temple here and it is believed to have been dismantled because there is evidence that more than one deity was worshiped in the temple. There was also a wall there that dated back to 3000 BC. I was in shock at how old the wall was and that it was standing right in front of me. It was amazing to see and feel the history right there in front of me. 

The sacrificial altar in Arad

Sitting in a house from 3,000 BC :)

And Apparently this is how you spell Canaanite!! teehee

During the bus ride, for a lot of the time, I watched out the window and it was really neat to ride through villages or little towns and see the people.  As weird as this sounds, it was really cool cause at one point we drove past this little shed where two guys where butchering something. I thought it was interesting that they were doing it right by the side of the road where everyone could see it. In the States you would never see that driving down the road unless you were literally in the middle of nowhere. There are so many differences between our cultures in the States and the culture here. It is really neat to read and learn and see all of these things. 

This is another thing that I thought was interesting because this is a town that was deserted not to long ago. it is a totally modern town but it is completely deserted i thought that was weird because how often would you see this in the states. Like never. It is weird to think about what i would have to do if i just left my house and everything and it just sat there for year. no one is allowed to move in even today. It is so interesting to see the differences between here and the states!

Dome of the Rock

Sunday here is like Saturday in the States. Most people go to church on Saturday so Sunday is party day! haha so Sunday we went out to explore the city!! :)  Well this Sunday was for sure a fun one! The first thing we decided to to was go to the Dome of the Rock! Because of prayer times and other things tourists are only allowed on the temple mount in the morning. So that was the first thing we did.

Of course we couldn't make it all the way there without stopping to take some pictures teehee

Once we got there of course we took even more pictures!

The Ramp to get up to the Temple Mount

Al-Aqsa Moque

The cool clock in front of the temple

Rachel and Lizzie

Tess and Kate

Me, Sarah, and Ben

After we took pictures Sarah, Ben, and I decided to split off from the big group and go do some stuff in the city. Ben had a camera that he was trying to sell so we went to find that guy. Once we found him that was a whole ordeal in and of itself. The guy that was trying to buy the camera basically was going to rip him off and so we decided to leave. Well we found this place to stop for lunch right next to where the guys shop was so then he started trying to barter for the camera. Well as it turns out, he traded the camera for a 60 shekel chess set (that is only about 15 dollars) It was really sad. But lunch was super good!

We tried Falafel and Shwarma. I think I liked the Falafel better but I also think that the shwarma was lamb so i wanna try chicken instead. But besides that it was really really good! I will defintiely be eating falafel again while i am here!

 Then we just went walking around the city. I bought a pair of real leather sandals for 12 dollars which was awesome!! Then we went walking through the Armenian quarter of the old city which was kinda boring cause there was absolutely nothing but It was kinda neat to see. Then after that we had to go to the restroom so we went to the mall in West Jerusalem because we figured the bathrooms would be cleaner there. Well as weird as this sounds I was enamored by the toilets...they were square!!!!

After that we went back into the city. We decided to go to the pools of Bethesda but since it was Sunday and it was owned by a catholic church, it was closed. But on our way we walked past the church of Mary's Birth which was pretty cool too.

So after that we decided to go to the wood carvers and then go home. Well on our way home, we ran into another group that was playing soccer with some kids. So we stopped and played soccer with some kids in the city!! It was sooo much fun.

After that we went to see the nativities and figure out prices. I guess I have a lot to think about to figure out which one I want. This is what they look like! They are gorgeous!!

It was an amazing adventure in a beautiful city!!!

The Western Wall

The Western Wall, to those of Jewish faith, is the holiest place on earth. As you can guess the western wall is a wall haha. This wall is the last standing wall of Herod's temple here in Jerusalem. Herod's Temple was the temple that was standing when Christ was here in the Holy Land. This temple was the last Jewish Temple. Because the temple is no longer standing and they do not know where the holy of Holies would have been, the Jewish people will not go up on the temple mount for fear that they will step in the Holy of Holies. 

This is the Dome of the Rock and where Herod's Temple would have been.

Because they will not go up onto the Temple mount and the Western Wall is the only wall left of Herod's Temple, it is considered the Holiest place on earth. On Friday I was able to have the chance to go to the Western Wall to bring in the Sabbath. Friday nights is the beginning of the Sabbath day and the Jewish people sure know how to bring in the Sabbath. 

 

Many many people show up for this celebration. More men where there then women and brother Jackson told us that was because many of the women have to stay home with their children. Even though not as many women showed up there were still A LOT! When at the Western Wall is considered an open Mosque so women and men are separated. While on the women's side it was amazing to me how many women where there praying. They were silently praying and singing and there was even a little bit of dancing. We tried to push up to the front to touch the wall but we felt disrespectful of those who were trying to pray so we decided we will go back another day. Another tradition that we will take part in another time is that of the prayers. At the Western wall it is a tradition to write a prayer on a slip of paper and put it in the wall. i am most definitely going to do that some other time and we are going to go back and get some pictures. Jews do not use technology on the Sabbath day, so out of respect we did not take cameras or anything. 

 

While we were standing outside the separation we got a chance to look in at the men's side. It was amazing!! There was a lot of dancing and singing and celebrating. There were also many different kinds of clothing. The type of traditional clothing that you wear depends on where your ancestors are from. It was really cool cause some people had the curls, somewhere wearing giant fuzzy hats and others where only wearing a kipa. It was really neat. We got to watch some of our JC guys dance and participate which looked like a ton of fun. I wish that the women's side had been as exciting but it was still pretty neat to see how the Jews bring in the Sabbath day. Being able to bring in the Sabbath with those who live here and Revere this sight as sacred was amazing. I cannot wait to get to add my prayer to the wall and go there when it is a lot less crowded.

 

Later that night was the first movie night that we have had and we got to watch Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. I had never seen it before but it was really good. It was really fun too cause one of our professors told us all of these unusual facts about the movie...some that maybe i didn't really want to know! for example, the scene where Harrison Ford is fighting a bunch of guys in the city to get back Karen Allen and a fairly large guy in black comes out. Well they were supposed to fight but Ford was so tired, hot, and sick that he just took out his gun and shot him. That wasn't originally in the script but they left it. It was just stupid funny stuff that you watched for the entire time. It was pretty cool. Even though I could have watched it back in the states it was kind of cool to be close to the place where the movie was set! All in all in was a great Friday!!

 

 

A Day in the city

Yesterday was awesome because it was the first time we got to go out in the city on our own. Every other time I have got out It has been with teachers and so it was awesome to get to go out and do whatever we wanted. At first my roommates and I had decided to stay at the center to do homework but thanks to peer pressure we decided to go. This is one of the few times I will say that I really appreciate the peer pressure!

The First thing that we did was go to the Money changers. It was really cool. It is weird though to have to go somewhere to get different money so that you can pay for things. Especially since we have to figure out what coins are what! Haha but Aladdin’s (the money changers) was way cool because of all the notes all over the walls. When we walked in there were the notes all over the walls and I didn’t really think anything of it until I actually looked at them. When I started reading them I noticed that all of them are from previous JC-ers! It was really neat to go through and read all of the notes and advice that they had for us. It was especially cool because I found one in there that was written by my friend Ryan Chapman. What made that note even better was that he was engaged at the time that he was here and he wrote his note to people who are engaged and here. Turns out my roommate is engaged and that note helped her a ton! So thanks for that Ryan!! J

After the money changers are group had lost quite a few people but it didn’t matter! We walked to Damascus gate so that we could go just explore the old city. When we got to the gate our group kinda split up into smaller groups of about three or four people (because you always have to have three people in a group at a time). We decided that it would be better to be in smaller groups cause that way we don’t have to keep track of so many people. I went with Katie, Tyler, and Jessica. It was really cool because we didn’t really have anything we for sure wanted to do so we just kinda walked around to see what we could find!

At first we were just kinda walking around looking at shops. It is really funny because all the shop keepers try their hardest to get you to buy something or to come look. Sometimes they just push stuff into your hands so that you can look at it. It is completely different then in the states but it is really neat. They are always saying “special price for Mormons” or when you say that you don’t want it they will lower the price. It is also really weird for me to be in a bartering society. I have always always been somewhere where the prices are set and you don’t get to talk them down. Here, in the old city, that is what you do. You try to decide what you want to spend on something. It is kinda funny how you won’t even say anything or you don’t want anything but they will still keep lowering the price “just for you.”

While we were just walking around we turned down this alleyway. When we started walking down it, we decided that it must be a residential area but that we might as well go see it. So we kept walking and we found this little neighborhood hardware store and at the end of the alley, where another street appeared, there was this door. We couldn’t really read the sign that was on the side of the door but there was a neon sign above the door that said Open. After standing there for a moment Jessica decided to try to open the door. It was looked I guess but someone heard us trying to open it and they opened the door to let us in. Well we found out that it was a guesthouse. It was really cool inside. Very open and spacious. We all thought that it would be a really neat experience to actually stay in the old city. It was really really cool!

After that we found another little, almost, hole in the wall. It was we decided that it was open so we might as well go see what it was! So we walked in and it was almost like apartments. So it was basically this neighborhood right in the middle of the old city and it was sooo quiet! It was really cool to go from the hustle and bustle of everything to the peace and quiet of this neighborhood.

 Next we found Shabaan’s!! Shabaan’s is one of the store in the city that caters to “the Mormons” he sells scripture cases and BYU T-shirts/sweatshirts! He was super nice and his son Omar was too. It was really neat because they dressed us up in traditional clothing so that we could take pictures. It was way fun!

Katie

Tyler

Me :)

Jessica

 So we took pictures in there for a while and then decided to keep going. So after that we decided to go to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This time we didn’t get to go in the tomb or anything but it was really neat because you could see people’s tears all over the stone of the anointing. It is so cool to me that so many people come here because it is one of the holiest places on earth to them and just to lay there and weep for your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the spot…it is amazing!

We also almost got caught in a fight right there by the church. When we first got there we started talking to this guy about the key and ladder of the church. The Key and Ladder of the church are owned by a Muslim family and this is s big tradition of this church. Well while we were talking to this guy about it three other guys walked passed and stared at us. It was kinda creepy but the guy that we were talking to basically told us to ignore them and not to worry about them. So after a rather long conversation with this guy we looked around and then we had to go. While we were leaving those three other guys came up to us and told us that they guy we had been talking to was crazy and not to believe anything he said. They said that one of them was from the family that held the key and ladder and that other guy was crazy. So then the first guy came up to us and was telling us to ignore the other three and all of them were arguing. They kept trying to convince us that the other was crazy and they continued trying to get Tyler to admit the other was crazy. They were arguing pretty hardcore and then we were able to slip out. It was kind freaky at first but not that I look back it is kinda funny!

After that, we started to head back to the center. We just kinda talked and looked around at the city on our way back and it was really nice. Another thing that I notice about the city is the different kind of shops. It is amazing how many different things there are. There are many shops that seem to be souvenirs and the like but there are so many other types of stores. It is almost like a mall in a way. You go walking down the street and there are clothing shops, shoe stores, and places to buy jewelry, but there are also so places that you wouldn’t see normally in the states. There were many spice shops filled with different kind of cooking spices and there were quite a few butchers. You could walk down the street and see the meat hanging right there in front of you. It is something that I have never seen before but I thought it was awesome. The stores are all very unique in their own way and it was really neat.

Sadly Sarah had gotten split off from our group so we didn’t get to see her until she got back but when she did, she brought chocolate. She had bought many different kinds of chocolate while she was out and decided that we all needed to try them. So we sat on our beds and each tried a bite of about 7 or 8 different chocolates. It was fun!  

There is sooo much more to do that I don’t think I will get to do everything I want while I will be here! I love it and this is how I am living my life and being brave! I am being adventurous and recording all of my adventures right here for you all to read!  I just hope my blog doesn’t bore any of you too much J

Overlook fieldltrip

On Monday was our first field trip! This one was called the Jerusalem Overlook Field Trip because we mainly just went to different overlooks around the city. It was really neat to see the city from all different angles.

The first outlook we went to was called the 7 arches outlook. As soon as we got there, my teacher, Brother Judd, asked if the camels where there. Of course everyone starts looking and there they were!! Haha He told us that the man with the camel will want a tip if you take a picture of the camel. He also told us NOT to ride the camel. So basically we could look at the camels but nothing else. Even though I couldn't take a picture it was still pretty cool because I got to see a camel! I really hope that I get to ride one while I am here! While we were there we could just see a really cool overview of the city. You could see it from an angel that was a lot different than from the JC.

After that overlook we went to Augusta Victoria Church of the Ascension. While we were there we learned that there are many churches of the ascension on the mt. of olives. Even though there is it was still a beautiful church. The murals where beautiful and the organ was huge. It was really neat because right when we walked in and sat down we were able to sing a hymn. We sang be still my soul and the acoustics where AMAZING!! There was this gorgeous mural on one of the walls that was a mosaic of Christ on the cross. It was beautiful to me. The colors that were used just made the mural so much more powerful. For example they chose to make the sky look red which really stuck out to me because it basically symbolizes the blood that Christ shed. While we were there we also got to go up into the tower of the church. Now because of my almost paralyzing fear of heights I had a little of trouble climbing to stairs. Once we were up there I was pretty much fine because everything was fenced in but on the way up I was GLUED to the wall! It was a really pretty view and you could see a ton of stuff from up there. You could see the Judean wilderness which was crazy cause it is basically just what its name implies, a wilderness.

After Augusta Victoria we drove a little ways to the Bethlehem overlook. It was really neat because where we were standing you could see the now city of Bethlehem and we were standing in the hills where the shepherds would have been watching their flocks. We talked a lot about the importance of Bethlehem and I learned that Rachel, Jacob’s wife, died and was buried right outside of Bethlehem. I definitely want to go visit where they think that it because I think that it would be really cool! Anyway so while we were there we got to sing “O little Town of Bethlehem” which was really cool! Then we took pictures and we found this little grotto which is like what Christ would have been born in. It is basically just like a little cave in the side of a hill but it was pretty neat! There was also the little rock structure near the grotto that me and Sarah took pictures by and it was the huge flat rock which was broken in half. We decided that It looked like where Aslan died in the Narnia movies! It was kinda funny J

So then after that we went to a lookout that was a part of the aqueduct. It was really cool cause there was this neat mosaic on the ground of where the water traveled from and It was super far. I think it is amazing the things that were made soooo long ago and the intuition it would have taken to create things like that! I know it is just something as little as a water system but it really amazes me. Then we went to a place called Nabi Samwell. This site was really cool. This site was originally believed to be Samuel’s grave site but, as it turns out, it’s not. Haha but it was really neat. You could see and very different view of the city then we have been used to. There is also this building in there that has a a mosque and a synagogue. It was very very run down and not many people where there but it was really cool cause we were able to go into the synagogue. It was my first time going in one and it was very interesting to me that they men and Women were separated for worship. There was a cenotaph in there which is an empty sarcophagus. The cenotaph was meant for Samuel and it was really neat to see the women praying over it. After that we had a little lesson about Samuel and Saul and it was really neat!

It was an awesome day! Beautiful views of a beautiful city and the History behind it is amazing! I am in awe of how unknowledgeable I am about the history of this land and I definitely look forward to learning more!

Orientation Walk

Sunday was awesome because it was our first time actually going into the old city!! It was absolutely AMAZING!! I know I am totally the naive American girl who has never been anywhere in her life and I am pretty sure it is obvious by my reaction to everything!! When we left we split up into small groups of about 12. We walked down into the Kidron valley and right back up. That is really the only way that you can get into the city. The Jerusalem center is situated on the Mt. of Olives so in order to get in and out of the city we have to go up hill both ways hahahaha J So, we walked for about 4 hours. We went all around the city. They showed us where to change our money and what shops are really good! We finally got to walk through the old city and it was totally sensory overload. There were things everywhere! It is shop after shop after shop shoved into small alley ways! There were people everywhere!

We went in through Damascus Gate which was pretty awesome! We then walked through and went to the Austrian Hospice. We went to the roof of the hospice and looked out over the old city. It was really neat to see it from the top. It was interesting to see because it is so compact that no matter where you look there are houses and buildings and churches. It really was beautiful in its own way. From where we were, you could see many groups of people going on their pilgrimage. In the old city there is a path that you can take that takes you on the walk that Jesus took into the city after he was captured. There are 14 points along the path that have churches that commemorate something that happened.  For example there is a stop that commemorates where Simon leans down to help Christ carry the cross. So this walk eventually leads to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where many religions believe is the site. We only got to glance in but it was beautiful. I was really neat because right when you walk in, you see a stone which represents where the anointing of Christ’s body would have been done. On that spot there were many different people that would kneel down and pray over the stone it was really cool. We didn't get to spend much time in there but I definitely wanted to go back.

 After that we walked to Jafa gate which lets out into West Jerusalem. The division between East and West Jerusalem is mainly the religions. There is no official division but there just seems to be a division in the city. When we got into West Jerusalem it was incredibly modern. It was a lot cleaner and there was a mall!! We went to one of the main streets and kind of got to explore for a while. We saw a McDonald's and went in because we wanted to see the prices and it actually didn't seem too horribly priced. After that some people stayed out but My Roommate Sarah and I decided to go back so that we could study for a huge test we had coming up (which was a very very good idea on our part!)

It was really neat for my first time out actually exploring the city every though It was more like a tour. It is definitely a culture shock being here but it is an experience that I wouldn't change for anything!! I am sooo incredibly grateful for this opportunity and I am going to enjoy every single moment of it!

The Garden Tomb

 

So today was the Sabath day. It is really weird becuase we go to church on saturday now instead of going on sunday. They called sunday school sabath school. and the primary song that goes "Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello, we welcome you today.." They sang Shalom instead of Hello. It was awesome to be honest. So after church today we FINALLY got to go out into the city. We walked through the city and it was amazing to me! There is trash everywhere and the drivers are absolutely TERRIBLE!! like it was almost scary. but It was amazing to finally get to go out and to see everything! I am so excited to go out again tomorrow and to get to see everything!

 

When we got to where we were going It was the absolutel most exciting thing!! The most amazing thing that I did today was...go to the Garden Tomb. For those of you who don't know, the Garden tomb is where we believe Christ was reserected and that was the tomb that he was burried in. It was so amazing! like I am totally speachless. I got to go to where my Lord and Savior was crucified and resurrected. Golgotha is right by it and so we got to see that too. It was absolutely AMAZING! the tomb is alot smalled then I had thought that tombs would be but It was so cool. It is cool to think that I can go there every sabath while I am here. I am definitely going to take advantage of that opportunity! when I actually went inside the tomb I felt the spirit sooooo strong! I am literally speachless. I cannot express to you in words the power I felt while I was there. I am so incredibly blessed for this wonderful experience and I thank my Heavenly Father daily for what he has given me. I felt at peace while I was there and I hope that is something I can find and keep before I leave here in 4 months. All in all...the Most amazing experience of my life to date!!

Jerusalem BABY!!

OH MY GOODNESS!!! I can't believe that I am actually here!! we made it safely and....It is snowing!!! This Morning we woke up to basically a white out. We couldn't see anything from our window. They said this is so rare it probably hasnt happened since the 1990s! It is crazy cold cause I didn't think it was going to snow but it is supposed to warm up I guess. I don't know but I think that it is awesome that I can experience the snow here since it is sooo rare!

 

The Flight was brutal!! I can't sleep in cars or planes so I am EXAUSTED!! but it was good anyway. for the flight to JFK I was in an isle seat (don not make fun of my spelling cause there is not auto correct on this computer!!) It was kinda long since my computer was dead so I couldn't do a ton of homework. the plane to Tel Aviv was HUGE!! It was two stories and there was like a middle isle of seats. It is like one of the planes that you see on TV and in movies but you never actually go on. I was in the middle which wasn't ideal for a 10 1/2 hour flight but I survived! It was one of those planes with your own individual screens and you got to pick out your own movies and music and there was games! that is pretty much what kept me occupied for the whole time cause there was so much do to. I got to watch Brave, Jane Erye, and the Lorax. They where all pretty good but definitely not the best! the plane food was...well plane food, but it was a neat experience! oh and BTW they had one of the rush CD's on the screen and it made me chuckle because of how obsessed my dad is with them! :)

 

Once we got here it was totally crazy cause I realized I couldn't call or FB anyone or anything and It really hit me. The bus ride was awesome cause of all the things we got to see and take pictures of on the way but I think it really hit me that I am actually here when we came around the corner and saw The Dome of the Rock!! It was AMAZING!! even though it was rainy and foggy and kinda hard to see that is when it really hit me that I am here!! I am actually in Jerusalem!! It is shocking and AMAZING!!!

 

I have only been here for not even 24 hours and I already am soo amazed and interested to learn so much more! This is an amazing experience that I am sooo incredibly grateful that I get to have!